


Inktober: Water

by Akira_of_the_Twilight



Series: Inktober 2017 [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Character Death, Denial, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Shock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-08 06:55:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12249246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akira_of_the_Twilight/pseuds/Akira_of_the_Twilight
Summary: Pepper sobbed. She clutched Tony’s hand on her cheek and brought it down. “I’m so sorry, Tony.”“Why?”Pepper flinched.





	Inktober: Water

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mysenia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysenia/gifts).



> Also, a special thanks to [Mysenia](http://mysenia.tumblr.com/), who beta read every single snippet and drabble. You're the best!
> 
> To read on tumblr [click here](http://akira-of-the-twilight.tumblr.com/post/166102644253/inktober-water).
> 
> To find the prompts for this Inktober Challenge [click here](http://akira-of-the-twilight.tumblr.com/post/165748460988/spymastery-as-i-mentioned-doing-just-yesterday/).

Tony must have misheard Pepper. He tilted his head as if by changing his perspective he’d somehow make sense of Pepper’s words. Red colored the whites of her eyes and splotched her cheeks. The fluorescent lights of the hospital made her tear tracks shimmer like diamonds. He stared at those tracks. Suddenly, his hand was cupping her cheek and his thumb was wiping away a fresh tear. He stopped and stared at the tiny bead of moisture that rolled down his thumb into his palm.

Pepper sobbed. She clutched Tony’s hand on her cheek and brought it down. “I’m so sorry, Tony.”

“Why?” Tony’s insides were hollow.

Pepper flinched. Her eyes widened then shrank as she struggled against another sob. She covered her mouth. “Tony, they didn’t make it.”

“Who?”

Pepper just sobbed again. She threw her arms around Tony and clung to him.

Tony’s arms wrapped around her automatically. Vanilla and strawberries awoke Tony’s sense of smell. He smiled at the irony of Pepper’s perfume. She was allergic to strawberries, but she liked the smell of them in her beauty products.

His wounds from the battle ached under her touch. He hugged her tighter and felt the stitches along his sides pull.

Pepper trembled, and Tony’s body quaked in response.

The Avengers had been scattered. So many crises at once. Tony and his boyfriends had just returned from missions that had separated them when they got the distress call. It had only been the four of them: Bucky, Clint, Steve, and Tony.

An unearthly sound escaped Tony. His fingers clawed at the back of Pepper’s shirt.

They had thought four of them would be enough.

Tears formed in Tony’s eyes. He buried his face in Pepper’s shoulder. He wouldn’t cry. He couldn’t cry. If he cried then the worst was real, and if it was real then-

Tony screamed into Pepper’s shoulder. She rocked him as she continued cried.

He screamed until his unshed tears dried. He’d lost one battle today, he wouldn’t lose another.


End file.
